Fast Facts

Medals

1 Gold

2 Silver

1 Bronze

Wollongong born Emma McKeon was Australia’s most successful swimmer at the Rio 2016 Games. In her Olympic debut, McKeon took home one gold, two silver and bronze.

McKeon was a part of the Australian 4x100m freestyle relay who were crowned Olympic Champions. The team of Emma McKeon, Brittany Elmslie, Cate Campbell and her sister Bronte broke the world record in a time of 3:30.65, bettering Australia's previous world-best mark of 3:30.98 set at the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games.

McKeon, Bronte Barrett, Leah Neale and Tamsin Cook combined to place second in the 4x200m freestyle relay. She also added to her medal haul with a bronze in the women’s 200m freestyle final, swimming out of her skin from lane seven. She led for the first 100 metres and hung on to finish third in a time of 1:54.92, just 0.09 of a second outside the Australian record she set at the 2015 Nationals.

On the final night of swimming competition in Rio, McKeon combined with Emily Seebohm, Taylor McKeown and Cate Campbell in the 4x100m medley to claim silver, clocking 3:55.00.

McKeon took a break from the sport after narrowly missing selection for the London 2012 Games. But thankfully she rediscovered her love of swimming and went on to make a stunning senior international debut at the 2014 Commonwealth Games where she claimed six medals from six races, four gold and two bronze.

At the 2015 World Championships in Kazan, Russia, McKeon finished fourth in the women’s 100m butterfly, seventh in 200m freestyle, 4x100m freestyle gold and 4x100m medley bronze. The Brisbane based athlete competed at the 2010 inaugural Youth Olympic Games in Singapore where she took home one gold, one silver and two bronze medals.

McKeon comes from rich swimming pedigree. Her father Ron swam at the 1980 and 1984 Olympic Games and won four Commonwealth Games gold medals. His mother Susie was a Commonwealth Games swimmer and her brother, Rob Woodhouse, swam at the 1984 and 1988 Olympic Games, winning bronze in Los Angeles. Her brother David is a dual Olympian and won silver in Rio.

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